San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-05-24
THE MADISON SQUARE PHILOSOPHER

George Francis Train Appears with the
Flowers OF sprins-His Remarks.
A gray bearded man, a matronly woman,
dozen children and four or five dilapidated
persons surrounded one of the benches in
Madison square the other afternoon. On the
bench sat broad shouldered man Of striking
appearance. He wore no hat. His head was
bald on the top, but long white hair tossed
careiessly back fell like q name upon his
shoulders. His face was very brown from
exposure to wind and sunshine, and the topof
his head was as brown as his face. Steel blue
eyes Of remarkable brilliancy, with oddly
dilated pupils, looked frankly and fearlessly
out upon the world from the sunburned face.
The broad sbouldered man was talking to a
little girl, evidently the daughter OF the ma
tronly woman.
"People don't know anything" he said.
"They don't know enough to live. They
won't learn. All the world is hypnotized.
The little girl looked as though she thought
this a very terrible state of affairs, and the
tramps listened to the strange words with re-
spectful admiration. The woman stopped
down and told the little girl to ask the man
something. He caught the question before the
girl could speak, and answered, directing his
remarks to her: "Crazyi No. You pity crazy
people, don't youi Well, you never heard
anybody pity me. People don't say, Look
at that poor man sitting on bench enjoying
the sunshine and the air. Isn't IL too bad
that he sits thereF They never say that
Again the woman stopped down and spoke
in a low tone, and the man quickly replied:
81 live thus because / know how to live l
have the secret / hold it in my hand. l
have it all here-success or failure, life or
death, happiness or misery" and he clinched
a muscular hand and turned his wrist back
ward and forward as he spoke.
1t was a very powerful hand and looked as
though anything grasped by it would be held
by a tremendous grip. He continued: II
haven't eaten meat for twenty years. People
eat too much. j eat once day, and only a
pound of food then. Once | went to Black
wells Islandr-
Sudden expression of sympathetic interest
on the faces of the tramps
81 looked at the food they give the prison.
ers How much do you suppose they give
each prisoner a dayi Eleven poundsl II they
didn't make the men work they would die
think they must have a system for killing
prisoners off by gorging their stomachs."
The tramps sighed and looked longingly
eastward.
"Omahai Yes, saw that was the place
for city Of millions. l jumped ashore and
found a hat lying in the road. Nothing else
there. Now there is city. owned half Of
it once. Do you know how people livei Ten
own everything, and ninety own nothing. l
saw If held that land would he one Of the
ten. ! didn't want to swim with ninety men
on my back. l said: Take your city; l
don't want it, and left them to do as they
pleased. Now sit here, and it costs me.only
81 a day to live"
The little girl, being prompted, said good
by. The little knot of people melted away,
and the broad shouldered man began reading
newspaper. A red eyed, shabby man came
along and nodded smilingly to him. The
man on the bench waved his hand courte-
ously, smiled and nodded, but said nothing.
George Francis Train speaks only to chill
dren.